RICHARD SMITH
Tommy Emmanuel once said, “If you like my playing, you should hear Richard Smith…” As far as accolades go, that one’s not easily beaten. Here at Guitarist, we first became aware of Richard’s extraordinary talent face-to-face back in the 1990s when he paid us a visit at our offices and brightened up the afternoon with a jaw-dropping private performance – and in those days, he was still in his 20s. British born but now resident in Nashville, Richard is acknowledged as one of the best acoustic guitar players around, touring constantly and only stopping off occasionally to deliver one of his insightful clinics.
When we caught up with him at Yamaha’s Milton Keynes HQ, we were treated to another virtuoso nylon-string performance while he was warming up for the video that accompanies this interview. What made it all the more remarkable was that he wasn’t playing his own instrument, instead opting for one of Yamaha’s TransAcoustic nylon-string guitars, the CG-TA. Even playing an unfamiliar instrument didn’t faze Richard in the slightest as immaculate solo arrangements of jazz standards
